Delegates to the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 56 delegates who signed the formal break from Britain are all considered Founding Fathers; two represented Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island delegates included Stephen Hopkins and William Ellery. Their signatures are in the rightmost column of the document.
Stephen Hopkins
Hopkins was born March 7, 1707, in Providence, Rhode Island, to William and Ruth Hopkins. His siblings were Martha and Esek; Esek Hopkins later became the commander in chief of the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War.
Because there were no schools in the area, his mother taught him to read and write and supplied him with many books. He taught himself astronomy and surveying.
In 1726, Hopkins married Sarah Scott, and the couple had seven children. His wife died in 1753, and he later married Anne Smith. At 23, Hopkins became a justice of the peace in the Rhode Island town of Scituate and later became a clerk of court for the same town.
In 1744, he became speaker of the House of Deputies, and in 1751, he became chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
He was also a shipping merchant and cofounded Hope Furnace, which supplied cannons to the Continental Army.
In 1755, he was elected governor of the state, and he was later elected governor three more times.
Hopkins suffered from "shaking palsy," according to constitutingamerica.org. During the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he famously said: "My hand trembles, but my heart does not."
He died on July 13, 1785, and is buried in North Burial Cemetery in Providence.
The World War II Liberty ship SS Stephen Hopkins is named in his honor.
William Ellery
Ellery was born on Dec. 22, 1727, in Newport, Rhode Island, to William Ellery Sr. and Elizabeth Almy. His father was a wealthy merchant and taught him at home. Ellery entered Harvard College at 16, where he learned Latin and Greek.
He graduated in 1747, and returned to Newport, where he held a number of jobs, including attorney, customs collector and clerk of the Rhode Island General Assembly.
In 1750, Ellery married Ann Remington, and they had seven children. She died in 1764, and in 1767, he married Abigail Cary; they had 12 children.
After signing the Declaration of Independence, Ellery wrote about the Founding Fathers: "I was determined to see how they all looked as they signed what might be their death warrant," as that act against Great Britain was considered treasonous.
During the Revolutionary War, the British used Ellery's Newport house as one of their headquarters, and they later burned it down.
In 1781, he was a signer of the Articles of Confederation, which predated the Constitution.
Ellery died on Feb. 15, 1820, and is buried in Common Burying Cemetery in Newport. He's one of only three signers of the declaration to live into his 90s.
Ellery, New York, is named for him.
This is the second installment in a series of articles about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress, representing the 13 colonies, are all considered Founding Fathers.